Manually operated adjustable oar wheel



April 25, 1950 G. C. PETER ET AL MANUAL-LY OPERATED ADJUSTABLE OAR WHEEL Filed D60. 3, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 1950 5. c. PETER ETAL 2,505,721

MANUALLY OPERATED ADJUSTABLE OAR WHEEL Filed Dec. 3; 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 25, 195% MANU ALLY OPERATED ADJUSTABLE OAR WHEEL Gustave C. Peter and Francis J. Schmidt, Wauwatosa, Wis., assignors to The Peter-Schmidt Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December 3, 1945, Serial No. 632,326

19 Claims. 1

This invent on relates to a, propelling mechanism for small Water craft such as rowboats and the like although it may have a more general use wherever applicable.

An important object of the invention is to provide a boat propeller of the rotary oar type which comprises a plurality of car members demountably secured. to a supporting hub which is rotated by a manual operator from within the boat.

A further object of the invention is to provide a boat propelling mechanism which may be easily attached to or detached from any small craft of the rowboat type, the parts being so connected and assembled that the oar mechanism may be moved from a vertical wheel position at the outside of the boat to an inverted position within the boat where the blades and the wheel mechanism are accessible for removal, repair and replacement.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rotary oar construction in which an oar wheel is mounted for vertically adjustable movement and also may be swung at various angles in an upright plane. 4

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a removable and adjustable splash shield which overlies a portion of the path of the oar wheel and is selectively movable in a variety of angular positions over the path of the wheel.

A number of other objects and advantages which are inherent in this type of boat propeller will appear in the specification and are apparent from the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. l is a side view of a small boat with a rotary oar construction in accordance with this invention applied at the side thereof;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the rotary oar as shown in Fig. 1 but viewed from the opposite, inner or clamping side of the structure;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the mounting of the splash shield as taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the oar construction as shown in Fig. 2 and with the clamp applied to a boat gunwale;

Fig. 5 is a view of the Wheel driving mechanism as taken on the line 55, of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is an end view of the blade clamping mechanism as taken on the line Ei-6 of Fig. 4.

In the oar wheel type of small boat propellers, the constructions heretofore used have either bee permanentl applied to the water craft or they are so large and cumbersome that they are neither adapted for free or easy detachment from and connection to various boats nor are they composed of parts which are easily dissembled or taken apart to occupy a small space in transporting them from one place to another,

are pivoted together by means of a sleeve 12 which projects from one side of the support to form a hub upon which the hanger is mounted and projects at the other side of the support where it is strengthened by ribs l3 connected thereto. Within the sleeve I2 are bushings M for mounting a crank shaft 15 freely therein, one end of the crank shaft projecting beyond the hanger Ill to provide a support for a driving pulley 16 connected thereto by a key 11, and the other end of the shaft projectin beyond the end of the sleeve i2 and having a handled crank I 8 for manually rotating the shaft and pulley Wheel I6.

In the upper edge of the support H are a plurality of notches [9 for engaging a trigger 2 8 pivoted in a projection 2| extending from. the top of the hanger ill over and beyond the upper end of the support II, and the trigger being pressed into engagement with any selected one of the notches 19 by, a spring 22 interposed between the back of the trigger and the adjacent extending portion 2|. To vary the position of the hanger with respect to the support, it is necessary only to press upwardly on the trigger and to move the hanger in either direction allowing the trigger to engage any one of the other notches. Just beyond the two outermost notches I9 are projections 23 extending outwardly from the support I l and adapted to engage a stop projection 24 extending downwardly from the trigger adjacent the sup-port. The engagement of the projection 24 with the stop projections 23 limits the relative movement of the hanger and support. I To, mount the support upon a boat, a gunwale clamp is provided which comprises a U-shaped clamp member 25 adapted to fit freely over a gunwale 2c of considerable width. The clamp member has upstanding ears 2'! at its inner ends adapted to, be pivoted in corresponding cars 28 at the bottom of the support I l which are spaced outwardly therefrom by a connecting web 29. The ears 2'! and 28 are preferabl connected by a common pivot 30 so that the support will swing freely with respect to the clamp member locating the lower 'end of the hanger at the outer side of the clamp.

In order to adjustably position and connect the support H with respect to the clamping member the latter is also provided with projections 31 opposite the ears 2? ,each having a slot 32 for receiving a common cross bolt 33 extending through the hanger ill at the angle of its connection with the web 29 parallel to the pivot 35, and having an adjustable wing nut 34 at one end by means or which it may be tightened and loosened with respect to the slotted projections 3 1. With this construction the support H may be raised and lowered with respect to the gunwale clamp or if desired disengaged entirely therefrom, swinging the support inwardly upon the pivot '35 so that the support and the hanger may be disposed within the boat.

Any suitable clamping means may be provided in connection with the clamp member but preferably a clamping screw 35 is inserted through ach end of the clamp member having an attached contact member 36 at its inner end to enga e the inside of the edge of a boat, or the gunwale thereof and having a handle 31 attached at the "outer end of th clamp screw for applying and removing it.

Mounted at the lower end of the hanger it] is an oar wheel shaft 38 projecting outwardl'y'th'era from and having an oar wheel hub 35 mounted thereon by means of bushings '40. The hub is freely rotatable upon the shaft and has an out- Wardly extending threaded sleeve portion 4| engaged at its outer end by a washer 42, with a cotter pin 43 extending through the shaft for holding the washer in place. The shaft is drawn up at its other end by means of a washer 44 which engages the hanger I0 around the shaft and by a stud bolt 45 inserted into this end of the shaft 38 and drawn up tightly against the washer 44. With this construction the wheel hub 39 is mounted for rotation upon the shaft and is provided with a belt groove 46 in line with the corresponding groove of the pulley I6 and connected to the pulley by a driving belt 41. Between the wheel hub and the pulley a belt tightene may be "inserted comprising an idler pulley 48 mounted upon a slide 49 having a slot 50 therein through which a thumb screw 5| extends into the adjacentportion of the hanger I0 so that the'pulley may be advanced and withdrawn to variably engage the belt 4'! for tightening or loosening it.

The oar wheel comprises the hub 39, a clamping plate 52 movable upon the sleeve portion 4! of the hub, a threaded clamping thumb screw 53 and a plurality of car blades 54. Each oa blade is thin and fiat, preferably made of metal, rounded at the outer and inner ends with one side terminating in a thicker and reinforcing shank 54d which is off-center with respect to the blade. Each shank has a projection 55 near its free end and the clamping plate 52 has corresponding ecesses 56 to receive the projections 55 of the different shanks, the hub 39 and the clamping member 52 being each formed with complementary recesses 51 and 58 in which the ends of the shanks 54a are received and seated with the projections 55 engaging in the recesses 56 of the clamping plate, so that when the clamping plate is tightened against the oar shanks they will be member 52 and movable with it, so that the movement of the clamping screw upon the threaded hub sleeve produces a corresponding movement of the clamping plate 52. With this construction the oars may be easily attached to the hub and removed therefrom without removing the clamping plate or its adjusting screw from the wheel hub.

Extending over the path of the blades of the oar wheel for a portion of their periphery is a spray shield 60 preferably covering slightly more than one-quarter of the path of the blades and e'xtendingfromnpposite sides of the hanger member "I l] downwardly therefrom with a trailing rear portion 61, the lower edge of the 'shield being approximately in a horizontal plane at the level of theflower portion of the hanger just above the shaft 38.

'The shield is removably mounted upon the hanger H) by providing a slot 52 extending vertically at its front end from the lower edge thereof, adapting it to be seated in guide grooves es in opposite edges of the hanger member I9, where by the shield may be inserted from the top downwardly upon the hanger member In with the upper ffi'arin'g edge disposed outwardly and downwa'rdl'y frcm the hanger member 10, so that as the hanger member is swung forwardly or rearwardly 'with 'respect to the support H, the spray shield will be carried therewith, rotating the spray shield accordingly.

With this construction the cars may be relatively raised or lowered, and advanced forwardly or rearwardly by adjusting the position of the hanger l0 relative to the support; the'support and the hanger may be adjusted in vertical position with respect to the clamp by swinging the support upon its pivot 30 and by locking the support in any adjusted position by means of the clamping bolt 33. This latter construction is particularly useful in lifting the cars, as when near shore, in shallow water, or to swing the entire mechahism into the boat quickly when approaching a pier or any other obstruction. which might damage it.

By having the parts quickly detachable and easily dissembled, the entire construction may be taken apart and stored or packed compactly for shipping or transporting it from one location to another. If any repair or adjustment is neces= sary while the mechanism is in operation either oar wheel may be quickly withdrawn from the water and overturned into the boat where the entire wheel mechanism is freely accessible for repair and replacement.

While w have described a preferred construc tion by way of illustration and not of limitation, it is apparent that various changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A rotary oar comprisinga gunwale clamp, a Support to extend upwardly therefrom, a shaft extending transversely in the support, a hanger mounted on said shaft and extending downwardly below the support outside a gunwale. a second shaft at the lower end of the hanger parallel to the shaft in the support, an oar holder mounted on said second shaft, means to rotate the holder from the support shaft, and a plurality of cars each having a blade portion with a shank portion at one side thereof mounted in said holder so the blade portion will extend outwardly from the hanger and will swing downwardly below the hanger as th holder is rotated.

2. A rotatable oar wheel for boats comprising a hub rotatable about a horizontal axis above the water line, a plurality of oars extending radially from the hub and adapted to be rotated therewith with the blades of the oars successively submerged in part within the water, a shaft whereon the hub is mounted for rotation, and whereby the position of the ca wheel relative to the water line is fixed, a hanger for the shaft pivotally supported remote from its lower end whereat the shaft is carried, means for securing the hanger in a selected adjusted position relative to its pivotal support whereby to vary the vertical position of the shaft at its lower end and raise or lower the position of the oar wheel relative to the water line, a manual operator rotatable coaxially with the pivotal support for the hanger, and means for transmitting motion from the manual operator to the hub whereby to rotate the hub and oars carried thereby.

3. In a portable knock-down rotary oar, an oar wheel comprising a plurality of oar blades, a clamping hub in which the car blades are removably mounted, a hanger for supporting the hub at one end thereof, a support to which the hanger is pivotally connected at a distance from the hub, a manual operator comprising a crank extending through the connection between the hanger and the support, a splash shield having a removable sliding engagement with the hanger, means for selectively locking the hanger in a variety of angular positions relative to the support, a gunwale clamp pivoted to the support, and an adjustable fastening connection between the clamp and the support by means of which the support may be adjusted relative to the clamp in various angular positions and also swing free from said fastening connection to hinge the sup port and the wheel parts connected therewith inwardly from a rowing position to a position within a boat.

4. For use on a boat, in combination, an oar wheel, a pivotally adjustable mounting for the car wheel, and ccaxially of mounting a manual operator for rotating the wheel in any adjusted position upon its pivotal mounting, a laterally pivotally adjustable means for supporting the pivotally adjustable mounting, and a gunwale clamp whereby the laterally adjustable means is carried.

5. For use with a boat, a rotary oar comprising an oar wheel, a mounting for the oar wheel pivotally adjustable for and aft of the boat and, coaxially of said mounting, a manual operator for rotating the wheel in any adjusted position, means for detachably securing the oar wheel and its mounting to the boat gunwale and a spray shield carried by the adjustable mounting to the outside of the oar wheel and movable as a unit with the mounting to remain in a fixed position relative to the oar wheel in all adjusted positions of the mounting.

6. For use with a boat, an oar wheel, a mounting for the oar wheel adjustable fore and aft of the boat, a support upon which the mounting is adjustably carried, and a shield for the oar wheel lit 6 slidably engaged with the mounting in a man-- ner to be supported in all adjusted positions thereof but in a single position which is fixed relative to the oar wheel.

7. For use with a boat, an oar wheel, a mounting for the oar wheel adjustable fore and aft of the boat, a support on which the mounting is pivotally adjustable about an axis longitudinally of the boat, means for adjusting the angular position of the mounting with respect to the support, and a spray shield for the oar wheel carried by the mounting and adjustable therewith into various positions relative to the support but always in a fixed position relative to the oar wheel.

8. In a rotary car, a, gunwale clamp, supporting means mounted on the clamp, a plurality of car blades each having an off-center mounting shank with a projection therefrom, a blade holder supported by said means and comprising separable clamp parts one of which has recesses to engage said projections of the shanks to prevent rotation thereof, and means for rotating the blade holder.

9. In a rotary oar, a plurality of blades each having an off-center shank with means extending laterally therefrom, a blade holder comprising relatively movable parts and means for clamping them together, and at least one of the parts having recesses to engage the laterally extending means for holding the car shanks against turn ing in the holder.

10. In a rotary oar, a plurality of blades each having an off-center shank projecting therefrom, a blade holder comprising complementary parts movable together to clamp the shanks therebetween, and one of the parts having a and the other part being provided with movable screw means adapted to be threaded upon the hub for clamping the two parts together.

11. In a rotaryoar, a plurality of blades each having an off-center shank with means extending laterally therefrom, a blade holder comprising complementary parts movable together to confine the shanks and laterally extending means therebetween, one of the parts having a threaded hub upon which the other is relatively movable, and the other part having an attached thumb screw threaded upon the hub to relatively move the parts, and stop means at the end of the hub to limit the outward movement of the thumb screw.

12. In a rotary oar, a clamping holder having a pair of relatively movable parts together providing a plurality of radial openings, a plurality of oars each having a blade and an olT-center supporting shank together with means extending laterally therefrom, the shank and laterally extending means being insertable in one of the radial openings, and means clamping the parts together to secure the oars immovably to the clamping holder.

13. In a rotary oar, a holder having parts providing a plurality of radially extending peripheral openings, a plurality of cars each having a substantially fiat blade and extending from one side thereof a thick shank having a lateral projection adapted for insertion in one of said openings, and means for clampin the parts together to positively lock the oars against movement in the holder.

14. A rotatable car for boats comprising a wheel having a hub, a plurality of oars each having a reinforcement at one edge terminating in a shank provided with laterally extending means, a clamping plate fitted on the hub having means for interlocking with each of the car shanks and lateral means thereon when extended radially from the hub, means for locking the clamping plate on the hub to secure the oars immovably thereto and prevent rotation thereof about the axes of the shanks, and manual operating means for the wheel and oars carried thereby.

15. For use on a boat, an oar wheel having a hub, a mounting on which the wheel is rotatable about an axis transversely of the boat movement through the water, a pivotal support for the mounting parallel with the axis of the car wheel whereby the mounting is adjustable to vary the submergence depth of the wheel in the water, a manual operator for the wheel comprising a pulley rotatable about the same axis as the pivotal support and spaced from the hub of the oar wheel, and driving means between the pulley and the wheel hub comprising a belt, all of the aforesaid parts constituting an operative assembly attachable to or detachable from the boat as a single unit.

16. For use on a boat, a rotatable oar coniprising an oar wheel submersible in the water, a hanger exteriorly of one side of the boat on which the oar wheel is mounted for rotation about an axis transversely of the boat movement through the water, a pivotal support for the hanger including means attachable to the boat at its gunwale permitting the hanger to swing outwardly therefrom to vary the spacing between the car wheel and the boat, means for locking the hanger in a selected angular position to fix the submergence depth of the wheel in the water, and a manual operator rotatable about an axis coincident with the pivotal support for the hanger for imparting rotation to the wheel in any adjusted position thereof.

17. A rotatable oar comprising a mounting attachable to a boat at its gunwale, an oar wheel submersible in the water and rotatable about an axis transversely of the boat movement through the water, a support upwardly extended from the mounting, a hanger depending from the support, a mounting for the wheel near the lower end of the hanger, pivotal means for adjustably connecting the hanger to the support for swinging movement relative thereto about an axis parallel with that of the oar wheel whereby to vary the submergence depth of the wheel in the water, means for locking the hanger in a selected angular position with respect to the support, and a manual operator fixed to the hanger coaxially of the pivotal connecting means therefor for rotating the wheel in any angular position relative to the support.

18. A rotatable oar comprising a vertically extending support attachable to a boat at its gunwale, an oar wheel submersible in the water and rotatable about an axis transversely of the boat movement through the water, a hanger for mounting the oar wheel, a pivotal connection between the hanger and the support, means for adjustably swinging the hanger with respect to the support to raise and lower the wheel, means for setting the hanger in a selected angular position with respect to the support, and a manual operator fixed to the hanger coaxially of its pivotal connection with the support for rotating the wheel in any adjusted position relative to the support, all of the aforesaid parts constituting an operative assembly attachable to or detachable from the boat as a single unit.

19. For use on a boat, a knock-down rotary oar comprising a gunwale clamp, supporting means connected to the clamp and depending below the gunwale, dual pivotal mountings comprised in the supporting means permitting the latter to swing about transverse axes to difierent positions of adjustment, a submersible oar wheel carried by the supporting means at a selected point below the gunwale and mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis transversely of the boat movement through the water, and manual operating means including a crank mounted on the supporting means for movement about an axis coincident with one pivotal mounting comprised in the supporting means and parallel with the axis of the oar wheel in operative connection with the oar wheel for transmitting motion thereto, all of theaforesaid parts constituting an operative assembly attachable to or detachable from the boat as a single unit.

GUSTAVE C. PETER. FRANCIS J. SCHMIDT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 470,108 Dick Mar. 1, 1892 527,798 Martin Oct. 23, 1894 674,901 Bryan May 28, 1901 1,024,419 Resch Apr. 23, 1912 1,028,265 Oppenheimer June 4, 1912 1,286,085 Peters Nov. 26-, 1918 1,502,479 Mould July 22, 1924 1,917,503 Crump July 11, 1933 

